Weaving In Ends Securely

Posted by: crochetanon on: April 20, 2009

In: crochet | tutorial
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Weaving in ends, while not the most pleasurable of activities, needs to be done. And, it needs to be done well.

The Knot

There are currently many different thoughts about it. “Knot or not?” I think that, many years’ ago, it was acceptable to tie your work tightly and knot it, cutting it close to the knot. I’m not sure when this information first came to me. But, quite possibly, it was after receiving a beautiful crocheted afghan which quickly came undone, even before washing.

It’s quite possible that this practice of knotting and cutting came from a time when most yarns were made of wool. Perhaps it was more likely that the wool would have bound onto itself making a knot stay where a knot should. So, the practice of cutting after the knot was the easiest way to end your work.

However, with non-wool yarns, it doesn’t work, as I quickly discovered when I had to repair this gifted afghan.

Working Over Loose Ends

Many years’ ago, I would crochet over the loose ends. This always worked for me. And, like most crocheters, most of my work was given away. I never knew what happened after I had gifted it. But, I happened to be visiting one of my gifted afghans about 6 months’ later, after several washings. I spent three hours, with a yarn needle, trying my best to get all those ends back in there.

What To Do?

Currently, I use a yarn needle to weave in all ends. When beginning and ending, I always leave about 8″ ends for weaving in later.When I’m ready to weave in the ends, I take the yarn needle and thread the 8″ tail. Carefully, I will hide the yarn about 2 or 2.5″ in one direction (stretch the fabric of the item out a little at this point because the first weaving of yarn will pull it out of shape a little), then back in the other direction, then back a third time. Cut it off close to the work. And, finally, stretch it just a little to make sure the yarn snaps inside.

When possible, I never change skeins in the middle of a row. I find that it’s easier to weave in ends into the trim of my project than into the actual fabric in the center.

What If The Yarn Is Really Slippery?

If you are very concerned about the yarn still coming loose after weaving, try using a small dab of fabric glue after the third weave and right before cutting and stretching a bit to make the glued end snap inside. Try to embed the glue inside the stitches so that there won’t be any noticeable dried glue on the fabric.

What If The Stitches Are Really Far Apart And Lacy?

Try weaving vertically into a stitch instead of horizontally. And, the fabric glue could be used in this instance as well.

Weaving In Ends Securely by Anonymous Crochet is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.